I am a big outdoor person! I don’t know how big but then fairly an outdoor person by large. I have been to most of the places in India. Don’t like visiting historical monuments much. Nature and adventure are what that attracts me. From the River Rafting in Ganges, Shivpuri, Uttaranchal, to Nagarjuna Sagar in AP and Mumbai beaches to Pondicchery beauties, everything has been in my tourist destinations.
Goa was a forced one. I had no plans to visit Goa this year or even in near future coz I always felt Goa is more of a commercial tourist place and a commercial place can hardly attract an adventurous person like me. However, thanks to a friend of mine who was going to Delhi for some industrial training and before the training she wanted to go Goa at any cost. I guess she had some fascination about Goa. She told me one month in advance that in the month of October, she wants to go to Goa. I had my own reservation on going with a lady friend to a romantic place like Goa. I mean, I wanted her to remain a friend of mine. Anyways, she was insisting a lot and with lot of courage and patience, we left Hyderabad on 6th Oct 2006 for Goa on Paulo Travels Volvo bus. Bus looks nice from outside, but it was not a video coach, no means of entertainment and also leg-space. I am a 6 feet tall guy and I had lot of discomfort in spending that 15 hour journey in that uncomfortable Volvo bus, which actually got extended to 18 hours coz of Tire puncture.
Anyways, we reached Goa on 7th afternoon at 1 o’clock. First time I was to Goa and so was she. I got down at Paulo office as I had to book my return tickets from the same uncomfortable bus. I did it and then I met two people, basically tourist guides I guess. I had no idea where to go there for a room coz my accommodations plans got drowned at the last moment. I first was scared as they might have been touts, still I went ahead. They asked my budget. I told them and then they took me to Zillion Inn hotel in Panji. It was the heart of Panji with River Mandovi flowing beside it and @ 800rs per day, it wasn’t bad at all. Room was just for night halt, we had great plans in Goa. We were staying for two nights and three days with this being the first day.
We took bath and then we went out to Miramar beach that was just two km from hotel. I had hired a Bajaj Pulsar for 3 days @350 per day. Seemed a bit expensive but we made it worth it. We remained at Miramar beach that day for long time. She had seen sea for the 2nd time in her life. Miramar beach tends to be of one of those kind that of beaches that sooth your eyes and make you feel relaxed and comfortable. We made a house there, she tried a lot to impress me with her artistic talent and I did get impressed. Anyways, we started coming back to the city. We wanted to go to Panjim Church, but bike broke down and it took 45 mins to get a replacement for that. Finally we decided to go for a Cruise ship ride. We came back to hotel, changed and left for the boat ride. They had charged 150 bucks per person for that. Ship name was Paradise. We boarded it. Alcohol was available at normal rate. They had an organized dance program there. They asked for couples to come and join the dance floor and we were the first couple to go out, though we were anything but couples. We enjoyed like anything there. By the time the cruise journey ended, we were BEST Couple there, ha ha ha. Then went to Dona Paula Beach. It looked nice and romantic to me in the night. Then at 9 we came back to Miramar beach. Its amazing to see a sea and hear its roar in night. It gets aggressive as if it wants to say dare not touch me in this beautiful night. It gets ultimately romantic. We stayed there for long, till 11pm I guess and then we came back with two beer bottles. We were tired so soon were dozing.
Next morning we went out to north Goa, around 17 Km from our hotel in Panji. Our destination was the biggest commercial beach of Goa, Calangute.
To be continued......